Very Important Mayapur festival 2002 Update

[Guest guest]

Very Important Mayapur festival 2002 Update

 

THIS YEAR FESTIVAL ATTENDANTS AND ACCOMMODATION:

 

In previous festival years, we normally have received 40 to 50 advance

bookings. Last year the total attendants at the Mayapur festival were

approximately 400 to 500 registered devotees.

 

This year according to Guesthouse room booking reports, as of February 17th,

around 600 devotees from 32 different countries have booked their

accommodations. Most of these devotees are arriving by March 12th and

leaving

by March 30th. Every day we are getting more and more bookings. Many leaders

are staying in Mayapur after the GBC meetings for the festival seminar.

 

We have almost completed our new guesthouse Vamshi Bhavan, which will be

ready

in the first week of March. These rooms are already completely booked. We

are

now creating more facilities for accommodating more devotees, so there will

be

sufficient space to ladies and gents separately. It is now very difficult to

get an attached bathroom for devotees, as these rooms are limited.

 

To get your accommodation please write to Naru Gopal das by e-mail today.

 

FESTIVAL SEMINAR

The festival seminar is different from the MIHE seminars. The festival

seminar

begins on March 13th and ends on March 17th and there is no charge for

attending. About twenty different seminars will take place during this five

day period, and will be called "Sadhu sanga week". Every day after evening

aratik, HH Radhanath Swami will give Gaura Katha for one hour! Then every

night there will be different events like Congregational preaching night,

Book

distribution night, World Excellency award distribution night, etc. Do not

miss these very attractive programs.

Festival fee: No festival fee!!

What does this mean?

Devotees only have to pay for accommodations and prasadam.

 

THANKS TO THE GOVT. FOR NICE ROADS TO MAYAPUR:

Devotees will be happy to hear the Indian Government has begun widening and

repairing the road from the National highway to Mayapur. Road construction

is

taking place quickly so as to be completed before the Gaura Purnima

festival.

 

NAVADWIP MANDAL PARIKRAMA BOOKING:

>From advanced bookings, we see devotees are arriving by March 12th and

leaving

around March 30th. But many of them have not mentioned whether they will go

on

parikrama. In order to efficiently prepare the appropriate facilities, we

are

requesting all devotees to please let us know how many of you will go on

parikrama - whether you would like to spend the night at the various

parikrama

sites or return to Mayapur every day after finishing parikrama. We have to

prepare the facilities at each parikrama site and arrange transportation

accordingly, so your information is imperative! Many sannyasis and leaders

will walk during this year’s Navadvipa mandal parikrama.

Contact Naru Gopal das for parikrama booking.

Naru Gopal email address-

 

Children’s competition:

This year there will be nice engagements for all the children. There will be

different competitions among the children, including Chanting Bhajans,

Reciting verses, giving speeches, etc. There will also be different game

competitions like running around the Samadhi, etc. The winners will be

awarded

certificates and gifts. If you have children coming to Mayapur festival,

please contact Veda Sar das by e-mail for more details and inform him about

the participation of your children. Veda Sar e-mail address-

 

RETURN TRAIN BOOKING:

Like last year this year also there will be facilities for booking your

return

train tickets. We are still requesting devotees to have their return train

tickets before they arrive in Mayapur. It will prevent last minute ticketing

problems and save laxmi as well. If you are not able to obtain a return

ticket, let us know your name, age and departure date and preferred train.

We

will try to prepare advance bookings for you.

Send us e-mail.

 

KOLAKATA MAHA NAGAR SANKIRTAN:

On March 30th this year, there will be a maha nagar sankirtan in Kolkata,

the

birthplace of Srila Prabhupada. Devotees can attend the Jagannath feast on

March 20th in Mayapur, and the morning of March 30th, they will be brought

to

Kolkata for Maha Harinama. From there they can take the train to wherever

they

need to go. Please make your train bookings accordingly.

Contact Attention Purananda das

E-mail address - Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir

 

BRING YOUR NATIONAL FLAG:

We will place National flags of different countries around the pond in front

of Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi to demonstrate how Srila Prabhupada has

created

the real United Nations of the spiritual world. There will be a special

celebration for this program on March 24th, with the media also being

present.

Please bring the national flag of your country.

Ekachakra (Birth place of Lord Nityananda prabhu):

There will be a tour conducted to Ekachakra during the festival period

(except

during the Parikrama period). Devotees can visit birthplace of Lord

Nityananda

prabhu. This is a one-day tour.

We need volunteers for different services:

please contact Bhagavatamrita Das